Never Believed
by BrokenKage
Summary: You never believed that one day this would happen, and that you would be left standing in front of the Hokage with nothing but an impossibly heavy porcelain mask, his dog tags, and his standard issue Katana left of him. Drabble. Third chapter is NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

Title: Never Believed

Author: Ashley

Summary: You never believed that one day this would happen, and that you would be left standing in front of the Hokage with nothing but an impossibly heavy porcelain mask, his dog tags, and his standard issue Katana left of him.

Genre: Angst/Tragedy

Disclaimer: I don't own the sandbox, I am just playing in it.

Warning: Implied Character Death, un-betaed.

Pairing: You decide!

Rating: T (for implied character death)

Authors note: Okay, I have never tried this style before! Let me know what you think, and see the authors note below. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

You never believed that one day this would happen, and that you would be left standing in front of the Hokage with nothing but an impossibly heavy porcelain mask, his dog tags, and his standard issue Katana left of him. The metal of the dog tags is cold and heavy, clutched to your chest in a tight fist. The Katana feels awkward and unfamiliar in your seasoned hand. The impossibly heavy porcelain mask is tied tightly to the hilt of the Katana, and it seems to mock you with its empty eyes. Especially because now you long more than ever for the familiar eyes that used to fill those now hopelessly empty black rimmed holes.

You never believed that it would happen to you, that _your _beloved ANBU wouldn't come home. You don't even feel the first tears run down your face, and you barely feel warm arms around you. The arms feel all wrong anyway, too soft and warm. You long for familiar arms, solid and strong. You sob into the chest you've been pulled against, but you don't hear the word's that she's whispering into your ear. All you hear is him promising you he would be back in a week, when he left three weeks ago. All you hear is your heart screaming that he broke his promise to you, the last promise he ever made.

You are a Shinobi of Konohagakure, you should have been able to protect him. You should be able to pull it together for your family and friends. Gasping, you clutch the person rubbing your head closer and continue to sob. You aren't even sure you know how to returning to life without him, but you know you have to for the sake of your family, and your village. You try to catch your breath, and it feels like you're suffocating, you hear things like "…maybe time to sedate…" and "… you think, Hokage-sama…" before your world goes black, and the last sound you hear is the soft clatter of his dog tags falling to the floor.

* * *

Well there you are, dark little piece that came out of nowhere and wouldn't let me work on Chapter Seven of "Unexpected Journey." (Which, is almost done and should be posted sometime tonight or tomorrow now!) Give me ANY pairing you think this could fit, and I will add a rewrite of this with that pairing. Yaoi, het, whatever. If you want to see a yuri pairing, there's things I can change to make it work! I will also add a omake that fits the surviving half of the pair. Also, let me know which you would like to see as which.

Let me know if there's any interest for that, if there isn't, that's the end of this story :) Will be taking pairing requests indefinitely.


	2. KakashiSakura

Title: Never Believed

Author: Ashley

Summary: You never believed that one day this would happen, and that you would be left standing in front of the Hokage with nothing but an impossibly heavy porcelain mask, his dog tags, and his standard issue Katana left of him.

Genre: Angst/Tragedy

Disclaimer: I don't own the sandbox, I am just playing in it.

Warning: Implied Character Death, un-betaed.

Pairing: Sakura/Kakashi

Rating: T (for implied character death)

Authors note: Okay, I have never tried this style before! Let me know what you think, and see the authors note below. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

You never believed that one day this would happen. You believed that Kakashi was invincible, everyone did. That was your one mistake, the downfall of the heart of a Kunoichi. You fell in love with a dangerous Shinobi, and believed he would always come home to you. Now, you're left standing in front of the Hokage with the porcelain face of the Hound clutched in your shaking fingers, and the cold metal of a masterless blade and dog tags.

The metal of the dog tags is cold and heavy, clutched to your chest in a tight fist. The Katana feels awkward and unfamiliar in your seasoned hand. The impossibly heavy porcelain mask is tied tightly to the hilt of the Katana, and it seems to mock you with its empty eyes. Especially because now you long more than ever for the familiar blue and red eyes that used to fill those now hopelessly empty black rimmed holes.

You never believed that it would happen to you, that yourbeloved Hound wouldn't come home. You don't even feel the first tears run down your face, and you barely feel warm arms around you. The arms feel all wrong anyway, too soft and warm. You long for familiar arms, solid and strong. You sob into the chest you've been pulled against, but you don't hear the word's that Shizune's whispering into your ear. All you hear is Kakashi promising you he would be back in a week when he left three weeks ago. All you hear is your heart screaming that the first promise that your husband ever broke to you, was the last one he ever made.

The thoughts race through your head, keeping pace with your tears. You are a Kunoichi of Konohagakure, you should have been by his side, able to protect him. You should be able to pull it together for your family and friends.

Gasping, you clutch Shizune's yukata tighter and continue to sob. You aren't even sure you know how to return to life without him, but you know you have to for the sake of your family, and your village. You try to catch your breath, and it feels like you're suffocating.

You vaguely hear Shizune asking Tsunade if they should sedate you. Solid arms pull you away from Shizune, and instead of being cradled against breast and soft cloth you are pulled tightly against an ANBU chest plate. You hear Yamato whispering how sorry he is, but you still can't breathe to tell him it's going to be alright. A slight prick in your elbow, and your whole world fades to blissful darkness.

*OMAKE*

Sakura walked into the house she shared with her husband, and placed her hand against the foyer wall to steady herself. She placed Kakashi's Katana back on its stand, and tied his ANBU mask to the sheath so it sat proudly displayed. She slipped the dog tags around her own neck, and winced at the feeling of the cold metal against her skin. "I can't believe you are gone," she whispered to the mask. She ran her index finger along the edge of the mask before she turned away.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Ino stepped out of the kitchen, a concerned look on her face and a wriggling toddler perched on her hip.

Sakura shook her head and stepped forward to claim her son from her friend. Their son... Their beautiful son, he was tangible proof of their love and the time that they had been afforded.

She hadn't even realized she was crying again, until a drop landed on her son's cheek. The pink haired Kunoichi clenched her eyes shut and whispered, "Kakashi is gone." Ino gasped and she felt arms around her again. Now that her arms were full with her son, the arms around her felt a little bit better, a little more _right._

She opened her eyes slowly and stared down at her son taking in his gravity defying silver hair that stood up in little spikes around his chubby face, his eyes that were the same midnight blue as his fathers, and his roguish smile that just screamed Kakashi. He looked so much like her late husband that it made her heart ache in a completely new way.

Ino slowly pulled away and firmly pressed a hand against Sakura's stomach, and offered the pink haired woman a sad smile when a gentle nudge met her palm. "At least he left you one more precious gift before he got called home, my friend." Sakura nodded and shifted her son to her hip, so she could lay her hand on the swell of her belly, where the last thing Kakashi had ever given her grew.

* * *

Keep the pairings coming people!


	3. NarutoHinata

Title: Never Believed

Author: Ashley

Summary: You never believed that one day this would happen, and that you would be left standing in front of the Hokage with nothing but an impossibly heavy porcelain mask, his dog tags, and his standard issue Katana left of him.

Genre: Angst/Tragedy

Disclaimer: I don't own the sandbox, I am just playing in it.

Warning: Implied Character Death, un-betaed.

Pairing: You decide!

Rating: T (for implied character death)

Authors note: Chapter Three of Never Believed is for Momoko Zoey Kumori! Hope you enjoy girl, this one is a little different because I decided to play around with the idea of the surviving party also being in ANBU.

* * *

You are an ANBU soldier yourself, and your greatest downfall was believing that he would always come home to you. You _knew _the risks you both took. Besides, you believed Naruto was invincible. Everyone did, it was part of what made the blonde who he is… was. When Tsunade hands you a cloth wrapped bundle, you are hesitant to take it from her. You never believed this would happen to you. You had stood beside Tsunade in the same place as Kakashi is now, covered in blood like him, and handed that same bundle to the spouses, families, and children left behind. Kakashi, no Hound, see's your hesitation and takes the bundle from Tsunade and holds it out to you. With a shaking hand, you grasp the sheath of the Katana that's sticking out from the end.

You never believed that one day this would happen, and that you would be left standing in front of the Hokage with nothing but an impossibly heavy porcelain mask, his dog tags, and his standard issue Katana left of him. The standard issue Katana feels unfamiliar and ridiculously heavy in your hand, and you gasp. It finally hits home when you see the familiar porcelain mask tied tightly to the hilt of the Katana. You long for the cerulean eyes that used to fill those red rimmed holes. They seem fathomless, mocking you in their emptiness. The painted whisker marks on either side of the painted mouth are a pale imitation of your love. You can't hold back the pain any longer, and you reach up and pull your own mask off and drop it to the floor beside you. You can practically _hear _Hound's heart breaking for you, as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a leather throng. You hear Tsunade's breath hitch, and Kakashi leans forward and slips the first Hokage's necklace around your neck.

You don't even realize you are crying until the tears fall onto the cold mask in your hands, giving the appearance that the mask is also crying for the loss of its owner as well. The dog tags are clutched in your fist, you almost laugh when you remember that they aren't his, but your own. Your captain had understood the symbol of commitment you two had chosen, versus exchanging wedding bands. Tsunade apologizes for your loss again, also informing you that Kakashi had stopped Naruto from activating the body destruction Jutsu, just to bring your husband home for a proper funeral.

You've always been quiet, but now you don't know if you'll ever find words again. You were supposed to be on that mission with your husband. You _should _have been there to protect him. Three weeks ago he promised you he would be home to go to your appointment. You just _knew_ your husband would never have broken his promise to you, never would have abandoned you. He'd never broken a promise to you or anyone else. How ironic that the only promise he ever did break, was the last one he ever made. You know, deep in your heart, that you'll be able to go on without him, but you aren't sure how. You have loved him for so long, but you have no choice. You are a Kunoichi of Konoha. An ANBU shadow. Now, a widow. And soon, you'll be a mother. You look up at Kakashi, eyes wide and pleading. You know you are going to fall apart, you need an out. He cocks his head to the side, asking you if you're sure, because he knows what you need.

You nod, and he steps forward and wraps arms that are too long and too cold around you. You close your eyes, trusting him to catch you, and he presses a strong finger into the bundle of nerves at the nape of your neck. You give him a sad smile as you drift into blissful unawareness.

* * *

*OMAKE*

Uzumaki Hinata sighed as she approached the memorial stone. It was late, and she hoped no one would be there while she visited with her husband. It had only been three days since his funeral, but she had not had one moment where she'd visited the stone that someone else wasn't already there paying their respects to the war hero that everyone had come to love so much.

She sighed as she got within sight of the stone, holding a rose in her hand. A lone figure was kneeling there, shoulders shaking from sobs. It hurt her heart to witness the pain of others, and she had an overwhelming need to go comfort whoever it was sitting there alone in the dark.

As she stepped closer, she recognized the person's defeated posture, brunette hair, and the tone of his voice as he whispered a standard prayer through his tears. She knelt beside him and placed a small hand on his back, "Iruka-sensei," she started. "I wondered why I hadn't seen you here."

Iruka jumped slightly, he obviously thought he was alone in his grief. "Hinata-chan, I could say the same to you." The whispered words held an undertone of desperation and loss, and Hinata struggled to refrain from pulling the man into a hug. He was grieving alone, she was sure for whatever reason he wanted it that way.

"Every time I have come to visit him here, there's been people. It hasn't felt right. And his grave is so covered in tokens and flowers, that I can't even see his name there." She sighed and laid the rose she had carried with her from their garden down in front of the stone. "I feel him more here. This is where he would have wanted to be remembered." Iruka nodded in agreement, and placed a hand on her arm.

"He would have been happy with the way he died, Hinata-chan. He died doing his duty, doing what he loved." Hinata did her best to ignore the tear making its way down her cheek.

"I know, sensei. Our time was cut so short," she whispered as her hand trailed to her abdomen and rested there. "There were so many things we had planned for the future, things that I am devastated he won't be a part of."

"Like the child?" Iruka asked, a knowing smile finding its way to his face through his tears.

Hinata turned to look at him, eye's wide in disbelief. "H-how did you know?"

"Naruto told me before he left." Iruka sighed, a sad smile gracing his lips. "Looking back, I've never been so happy that he stopped by before a mission. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have had the chance to say goodbye. Nor would I know that he left a piece of himself with you."

Hinata tried to force a smile for Iruka. She really did, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Yes. A fatherless child, because the war didn't leave us with enough of those," she whispered bitterly, tracing Naruto's freshly carved name.

"He left behind his legacy, Hinata-chan. He left you proof of the love you shared, testimony of the time the two of you were given as husband and wife. I know it wasn't long, and it's hard to see the future without him now. This child will give you the strength to carry on for him, the baby you carry now is how you will keep him alive in your heart," Iruka told her, moving his hand to cover the one she had resting there.

"He'll never get to see our child grow up," she said sadly.

"Minato-sama didn't get to watch Naruto grow up either, but Naruto turned out okay." Iruka stood, and pulled Hinata to her feet, wrapping his arms around her. "Naruto had a hard life. But in the years that the two of you were together, he was a changed man. He was the happiest he'd ever been, and I have you to thank for that."

Hinata sighed and smiled when she remembered something Naruto had asked her before he left. "Sensei? Would you like to be the baby's godfather? Naruto asked me to think about it when we found out." Iruka smiled a true smile for the first time since he had heard of Naruto's death.

"I would like that very much, Hinata."

* * *

Kakashi smiled sadly beneath his mask as he watched from the edge of the field where the Memorial sat. He hoped they could find comfort in each other. Kami knew Hinata and Iruka felt the loss of Naruto the deepest. He glanced up at the sky and sighed. _We never believed that we would lose you, Naruto. _


End file.
